Bhuvneshwar, Bumrah named in new A+ category of BCCI pay grade

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have been named in the newly introduced A+ bracket of BCCI pay grade for the season 2017-18. India's all-format bowling specialists join seasoned performers Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan in the top category and will earn INR 7 crore as their annual retainer for the period September 2017-October 2018.

Cricbuzz understands that pacer Mohammed Shami, who was missing from the 26-member list made public by BCCI on Wednesday (March 7), was excluded due to certain reports that have emerged relating to his personal life. Shami's name was in the initial list prepared by the BCCI but his name was withheld at the last moment pending verification of the reports that emerged. He may very well be included at a later stage, if the BCCI deems fit.

The A bracket consisted of Test regulars like R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and Wriddhiman Saha, with the Test wicketkeeper-batsman being the lone promotion in the group. Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal were elevated to Group B, having been in the C category last season, while new contractee Kuldeep Yadav was listed under Group B. Yuvraj Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Amit Mishra and the recently-retired Ashish Nehra were among the exclusions.

Apart from the newly introduced Grade A+, BCCI has ensured a massive pay hike for the remaining grades. Cricketers under the A bracket, who previously used to earn INR 2 Crore per annum, will now earn INR 5 crore, Grade B cricketers will earn INR 3 Crore - a two crore increase from the previous season, while the Grade C cricketers' pay has been doubled and they will now earn INR 1 Crore per annum.

The latest contract announcement comes a few months after the Committee of Administrators (CoA) met India captain Kohli, former skipper MS Dhoni and head coach Ravi Shastri, in the presence of BCCI CEO, to discuss player salaries and the playing schedule.

Women's cricket:

For the Women cricketers, the BCCI has introduced a new category - Grade C; cricketers under this bracket will earn INR 10 lakhs, Grade B cricketers will now earn INR 30 lakhs as compared to the previous retainership of INR. 10 Lakhs.

Grade A players - which include Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur and a new entrant Smriti Mandhana - will earn INR 50 lakhs per annum, a 35 Lakh increase from the previous contract.

The Indian cricket board also recognised the need to rework the domestic fee structure with the new pay scale seeing an increase of more than 200 per cent in each category, according to the BCCI, which also announced an upfront payment model for the domestic cricketers. According to the new structure, the senior domestic cricketers who are in the playing eleven will receive INR 35,000 per match day while those in the reserves would earn INR 17,500.

The senior women cricketers in the domestic circuit who are part of the playing eleven will earn INR 12,500 per match day while those in the reserves will earn half the amount. BCCI also announced different pay scales for male and female cricketers at the age levels of Under 23, Under 19 and Under 16. For a T20 match, all domestic players will earn half the price as per their respective categories.